Twilight II
by Socra
Summary: What would it be like if Twilight were written better? What if the characters were actually likable? What if it were more believable? Is it possible to make a version of Twilight that doesn't suck while still holding onto the premise and plot? Let's see.
1. Home Sweet Home

Disclaimer - I'm don't own anything familiar.

A/N - So at first I brushed off Twilight as another stupid fad. I didn't watch the movie and I most certainly did not read the books. One of my close friends fell victim to the beast and I mocked her for it. But then one night a friend and I were trying to pick out a DVD to rent as the store was trying to close. My friend suggested to me that we rent Twilight, so that we could actually see for ourselves just how awful it was. So we did. The result was quite alarming. I thought it was terrible, but I _liked_ it. I went on to read the books. They were even more awful than the movie. But still... I _liked_ them! What was wrong with me? I realized that Stephanie Meyer had indeed come up with a magnificent premise, but then did very little to create an equally magnificent story. None of her characters were very well developed or likable. The plot was weak and often secondary to the melodramatic romance. Then my friend asked me if I would try to rewrite Twilight for her. Leave the magic, but take away the crap. I wasn't sure about my writing skills, but I said I'd give it a shot. I've written several chapters so far, and never intended to post any online, but recently decided that it would be interesting to see what other people thought. So please review! Also realize that all of these chapters are rough drafts.

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Self-sacrificing. That's how my mom described me. When I'd told Renee that I wanted to go live with my dad for a bit, my mom had just said, "Oh Bella, you're too self-sacrificing." But I had convinced her that my decision to move all the way to Washington was based on the fact that I was almost an adult and I wanted to spend some time with my dad while I was still a "kid". And that wasn't a complete stretch of the imagination- I did miss my dad. I used to visit him for a few weeks every summer, but it had been years since I'd made the trip. He was probably still all alone in that big house we used to share before Renee had left him. I wasn't broken up about the divorce. They split up when I was still little and even then I could see it was a good thing. My mom was now happily remarried to a young baseball star. Actually, he was barely making it in the minor league and spent a lot of his time traveling around, as was normal for the profession. Renee always stayed with me while he was gone, but it was fairly obvious that she missed him a great deal. They were really in love- the gross, mushy kind. The phone calls I was forced to listen to were almost enough to send me packing all on their own. Full of "I love you!" then "No, I love you!" and of course "I love you more!" So that was the real reason I was relocating to the tiny, coastal town of Forks. I wanted my mom to be where she wanted to be- at her husband's side. So apparently I was self-sacrificing. Big deal.

My dad pulled up to the house, clearing his throat awkwardly. He always did this when he was about to speak after some amount of silence. And there had been silence nearly the whole drive from Seattle. "I'll get your things," he said, opening his door. I grabbed my backpack out of the back seat and followed him inside. "You sure pack light, Bells," he commented as he started up the stairs, carrying my two suitcases.

"Yeah..." I mumbled. It was true. I didn't have many clothes to begin with and I had left all my desert attire in Phoenix. I knew I was going to have to get new, more weather appropriate garments when I got here. That meant I had to go shopping- my favourite activity.

"Here we go," Charlie announced, moving into my room and setting down my things. "I had some help..."

I just stood there. The room was painted a bluish-greenish sea color, brightly lit with several modern lamps. The bed was covered in a black and white zebra print comforter. This was definitely not my dad's handiwork. "Help?" I asked, still surveying the room with awe. I had expected to come back to see my room exactly as how I had left it.

"Oh well Sue Clearwater has a knack for design," he explained. "And Jacob picked out the blanket."

"Jacob?" I wondered aloud. "The name sounds familiar..."

"It should," Charlie chuckled. "You two were attached at the hip when you were little. Best friends."

I squinted my eyes, concentrating harder. "Right... We used to play at the beach..." I recalled vaguely.

"And everywhere else," Charlie nodded. He folded his arms across his chest and watched me, weighing my reaction. "So what do you think?"

I beamed at him. "It's great, dad. More than I expected," I told him. "You did too much."

Charlie waved off my words. "Oh it was nothing. Just wanted to make sure you felt comfortable here. I know you probably wish you were still back in Phoenix," he said. "I can't imagine it's fun moving so far halfway through high school."

It was amazing that even with Charlie's absence during the majority of my life, he still seemed to know me better than my mom. He must have assumed I was moving for Renee's sake, not my own. "I'm just glad to be here," I said, not sure what to say to ease his concern.

"Well I'm glad you're here, too," he mumbled. There was an awkward moment of silence, interrupted by the roar of an engine outside. Charlie exhaled, looking greatly relieved, and crossed the room to her window. "Billy and Jacob are here." I went over to stand next to him.

"What do you think of that truck?" he asked, nodding his head towards the truck that was pulling into the driveway.

I peered out the window at the classic truck. And by classic I meant old. Very old. It was a faded orange color, which made me think that it probably started out as red. Forty or fifty years ago, though. Pock marks of rust speckled the body, congregating at the hinges and around the headlights. "Looks nice... Vintage..." I was wracking my brain for nice things to say.

"Well I just bought it from the Blacks," he declared.

"Are you finally sick of driving around in a police cruiser?" I inquired. He'd been police chief in Forks since I was very little. I had no memories of him driving any other car.

Charlie laughed briefly. "No," he answered. "But I'll bet you are."

I just looked at him blankly.

Charlie's eyes darted around nervously, as if uncomfortable. "Uh... It's for you Bells," he said quietly. "A welcome home gift."

"Dad!" I cried, lighting up. I launched myself at him and hugged him, ecstatic. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Charlie patted my back. "Glad you like it," he murmured.

I bolted out of the room and down the stairs. Charlie followed on my heels. I got out of the house so quickly that the truck was still parking. I bounced around on the porch in anticipation. It had barely stopped when a boy jumped out of the driver's seat and hurried to the rear of the truck. I heard a loud scraping noise as the boy dragged a wheelchair out of the truck bed and let it fall with a bang to the pavement. The boy, Jacob, helped his dad out of the passenger seat and into the chair. Charlie walked over to greet them.

"Billy!" he welcomed, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"How's it going, Charlie?" Billy asked, then focused his attention on me. "Is that Bella?"

I realized I had just been dancing around on the porch, focused entirely on my new truck. Rude. I walked quickly forward to meet them. A small dip in the dirt caused me to stumble on my way over. "Hi!" I blurted, trying to cover up my embarrassment.

"You've grown so much!" Billy cried. "Though it's not like I shouldn't have expected that after as many years as it's been. You remember Jacob?" He pointed over his shoulder at the boy who was holding the handles to the wheelchair.

Jacob lifted a hand in greeting and smiled widely. I couldn't help smiling back. "Of course," I replied.

"You like your truck?" Jacob asked, still smiling his contagious smile.

"Yeah! Yeah!" I gushed. "It was yours?" I glanced at Billy, unsure if that was a sensitive question considering his inability to drive.

Billy just nodded, not bothered. "It's been around for quite a while. Jacob's old lab rat."

I looked back up at Jacob, a question on my face. "Oh, I basically practiced on it," Jacob explained. "You know... Car stuff..."

"Oh," I said.

"But don't worry, it's in good shape," Jacob grinned. "Relatively."

Charlie laughed and took over the wheelchair's handles. "Jacob you want to take Bella on a test drive? It would be nice if you could show her around town," he basically ordered.

"Sure, sure," Jacob agreed readily.

Charlie tossed me the keys, but of course I fumbled them and dropped them into a convenient puddle. Cursing inwardly, I snatched them up, then wiped them off on my jeans. That's one thing I was going to have to get used to- water. It was going to be everywhere, all the time. Falling on me, flowing under my feet, constantly in my clothes and in my hair. Ugh. I took a second to imagine the bright, warm sunlight of Phoenix.

I followed Jacob towards the truck. He started opening the driver's door and then laughed. "That's right," he said. "You're driving." He stepped aside so I could get in instead. I opened the door wider and accidently slammed him with it. He nearly toppled to the ground.

"Sorry!" I yelped, reaching towards him.

He stabilized himself and waved my hand away. "It's fine," he assured me, making his way to the other side of the truck.

I shook my head, cursing myself under my breath, while I climbed into my seat. I adjusted my mirrors and made sure my feet could reach the pedals well enough. "Anything special I should know?" I asked.

"Seat belt," Jacob said, putting his own in place.

"Oh," I said dumbly, putting mine on as well.

"I'm hoping you're good with a stick," he said.

"I can usually manage," I replied, unsure what he considered 'good'.

"Well let's see what you can do," he challenged, tensing slightly in his seat.

I felt the need to drive perfectly, to prove myself. "Right," I said, pushing in the clutch and starting the car. Carefully I backed out of the drive way. Charlie and Billy watched from the porch. I shifted into first and accelerated forward. I waited until we had gone a few blocks before I exhaled.

"I'm impressed," Jacob said.

"Yeah... Well..." I grasped for something to say. "Sorry to take away your test subject."

"No worries," Jacob responded. "I got a new one."

"Yeah?" I glanced over at him. I liked his long black hair that hung straight down past his shoulders.

He met my gaze and I looked back at the road. "Yeah an old Volkswagen rabbit," he told me.

"Cute," I said.

He laughed. "I'm not sure how manly it is to have a 'cute' car. I should have kept my truck," he joked.

"Too late now," I smirked.

"At least can I come visit?" he asked.

"I'm not sure how I feel about that," I replied.

"You're bumming me out, Bella," he frowned.

"That's what I do," I said lamely. In my head I imagined myself hitting my head against a wall over and over again. Then I realized I had no idea where I was driving. "Where are we going?"

Jacob quickly looked out the window. "Oh, right," he said. "I forgot I was supposed to be showing you your magnificent new home. Turn left at the next street."

I did. "Oh nice," I said, seeing where he was no doubt intending to lead me. A set of small one-floor buildings set on several acres of intensely green lawn. A sign next to the parking lot read "Forks High School". I couldn't imagine there were too many students attending a school of this size.

Jacob swept his arm towards the school, as if presenting a prize. "Where the magic happens!" he announced.

I laughed. It felt good. "So do you like it?" I asked, slowing as we drove by.

"Oh it's great," he answered. "Especially since I don't have to go here. I go to school on the reservation."

My spirits sunk a little. "Can I go to school there too?" I asked.

"I'm afraid not," he replied. "You have to know how to paint with all the colors of the wind."

"Awful!" I cringed at his joke.

"Right!" he ordered as I was in the middle of an intersection. I jerked the wheel to the right and we swerved down the new street.

"Good directions," I said.

He looked smug. "Left," he directed me. "This is the main haul. Where almost everything of any remote interest is."

"The library!" I gasped, reading a sign as we passed. "It's tiny!"

"You're weird, Bella," Jacob observed. "Right. And now you're back on your street."

"Well that took forever," I mused. I parked the truck in its space and hopped out. "Thanks for the grand tour, Jacob."

"Oh that's just me, the gentleman," he replied with a little bow.

We went inside. Billy and Charlie were watching television and muttering back and forth to each other. "I ordered pizza, you guys," Charlie notified us.

"Still not much for cooking, eh?" I teased.

Charlie ignored my comment and went back to talking to Billy. "Need help unpacking?" Jacob asked.

"You can watch me unpack," I replied. "That's the best I can offer."

We went upstairs and Jacob plopped himself onto my bed. "So you like your comforter?" he asked as I started to open my first suitcase.

I picked up a small stack of books, then grinned at Jacob. "Yeah, it really spices up the room," I said. "It's so me."

"I picked it out," he informed me.

"My dad told me," I said.

"He thought I would know exactly what you'd like, since we were such close friends ten years ago," he said. "I wasn't sure, but I remembered you had a good sense of humour."

"Very funny," I said, starting to put the books onto the short bookshelf under the window.

"You hauled books all the way from Phoenix?" he looked at me skeptically.

"Not as many as I would have preferred," I admitting, sighing slightly. "Just a few I can't live without."

"Anything I'd be interested in?" he wondered. I wondered if his curiosity was contrived. "I don't read much. Maybe because I just haven't discovered the right books."

"Somehow I don't think Jane Austen would really do it for you," I chuckled.

"I don't even know who that is," Jacob shrugged. I didn't want to tell him it was late 18th, early 19th century romance literature. I hated revealing my more feminine sentiments. Silence reigned for a good minute while I went for a pile of shirts. I was surprised that I didn't feel too uncomfortable. I was used to feeling pressure to talk around people, but Jacob's presence wasn't intrusive at all. "So you have to start school tomorrow?"

Small talk wasn't even that irritating with him. Normally, though, I considered it the downside of life. Slight exaggeration. "My dad wanted to give me a few days to settle in, but I don't really see the point," I answered. "I'd just get more and more anxious while that first day loomed in my future. So might as well get it over with."

"How rational," Jacob smirked. "You know you might actually like it."

I snorted. "Right," I said, hoping I pulled off a noticeable eye roll.

"You know I remember this time when we were little and Billy wanted to take us to the beach," Jacob said. "It was summertime, I think, and sunny for once. Like a perfect day. I was so excited, but somehow you managed to convince me that it was only going to be a disappointment. I don't remember how you did it, but I remember telling my dad I didn't want to go anymore. We stayed home and played Trouble instead."

I laughed. It sounded like me. "I don't remember that," I said. "So did you tell me that little anecdote to illustrate that perhaps I'm a bit too cynical for my own good?"

"I'm not sure, but that sounds nice," Jacob compromised. "The kids here aren't so bad."

"Anyone you can recommend?" I asked.

"Most of my friends live on the reservation, but I know some cool kids in Forks," Jacob tried. "I mean we've all grown up together, pretty much."

"Feel like naming names?" I pressed, picking up more clothes and bringing them over to the dresser.

"My friend Lewis, for one," Jacob divulged. "I met him at the repair shop. He works on cars, too. Then there's Stacy. My friend Quil dated her a few months ago. That was weird, but I still think she's cool. She's kind of the punk type, though. Maybe too crazy for you." I scowled at him. "My other friend Travis might be tolerable. I could be wrong, though. You've always been hard to please."

"Or maybe you're thinking about this backwards," I retorted. "Maybe _they're_ hard to please." I shut the empty suitcase and threw it into my closet.

"So it's you, not them?" Jacob sought clarification.

"Who knows," I replied. "I've got to do more research."

We heard the doorbell ring. "Pizza," Jacob nearly drooled the word, leaping to his feet. He ran down the stairs. I walked, smiling at my old friend's eager disposition.

The rest of the evening passed in a fairly pleasant fashion. Jacob ate an entire pizza. Charlie and Billy just laughed at my reaction. I was glad to see my dad had a good friend around. It's not like I was expecting him to be friendless, but it was still reassuring to see that he wasn't as alone as I had imagined. Perhaps I did think the worst too often. Or maybe I was just erring on the side of caution. That minimized disappointment, so it seemed logical to me.

After a couple more hours of chatting, I was exhausted. Thankfully, I wasn't alone.

"You've got school tomorrow, Jacob," Billy cut in. "And I'm dead on my feet, so to say. We'd better take off."

"Sure, sure," Jacob nodded. He got to his feet. "Well it was nice to eat all your food, Charlie. And Bella, I think we've had a pretty happy reunion."

"I won't disagree," I told him.

"I'm going to drive them back," Charlie told me, standing up as well. "You mind if I borrow your truck, Bella?" I just shook my head. "Okay then I'll be back in about a half hour. You can go on to bed if you're pooped."

After they left, I entertained the thought of unpacking some more for about two seconds. Instead, I changed into my tattered sweat pants and oversized shirt that said "D.A.R.E. To Keep Kids Off Drugs". Thoroughly 'pooped', I curled up underneath my zebra print comforter without even bothering to brush my teeth. I closed my eyes and pretended I was still in Phoenix.


	2. First Taste

Disclaimer - No owns!

A/N - I hope you guys enjoy this ridiculously long chapter. Chapter 3 is already written, so I'll post it after I've gotten some feedback on this chapter.

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Chapter Two - First Taste

The best part about my truck was the fact that I could drive myself to school. Getting dropped off in the cruiser would have drawn unnecessary attention to me. My mission for the day was to avoid just that. I got to school early and parked at the back of the lot, though there weren't many cars there yet. It was raining. Brooding, I hunched my way through the downpour and into the school. Fortunately the office was clearly marked.

"Isabella, right?" the secretary basically announced. I nodded. "Here's your schedule." She handed me a half sheet of yellow paper. "Get all of your teachers to sign this and bring it back at the end of the day. That way we know you've checked in with all of them."

"Right," I said, eyeing the paper. I was trying not to think about the long day ahead of me. Kids would be sizing me up. Teachers would be introducing me if I was lucky and if I was unlucky, they'd be forcing me to introduce myself. Oh the limitless potential for embarrassment. I trudged to my first class.

My first teacher made me tell the class a bit about myself. I don't even remember what I managed to sputter out, but I was sure I must have been bright red the entire time. I hated how easily I blushed. The girl who sat next to me in that class introduced herself when we were dismissed. "I'm Jessica," she informed me, overly cheery. "You're Chief Swan's daughter, right?" She didn't stop to hear my answer. "Phoenix sounds totally different from here. Oh my god, you must be making such a huge adjustment. We haven't had a new kid here in a while. I think it was like two years ago, but it hardly counted. I keep wishing there'd be some new guys, you know? No offense, I mean. Just that, you know, I've been around these guys since I was in preschool. Sometimes it's like trying to date brothers. We're like this big incestuous pool, inbreeding. We need some fresh meat. Oh man I'm probably freaking you out. No, it's not really like that. But yeah, be careful. I'm sure like all the guys will go all crazy to see a new girl. I know I would jump on you if you were a guy. Oh that sounds weird, but you know what I mean." She grabbed my schedule out of my hands. "Look you have Trig with me next! Oh man is that a boring class. Except we get a lot of free time to do worksheets or whatever, but I always just goof off." She continued on like this while we walked. At least I didn't feel the need to keep up conversation. Actually, I hadn't said one word to her yet.

Math class was close to torture. Jessica kept blabbering from tangent to tangent while we were supposed to be working in silence. No one seemed to take that seriously, though. I attempted to block out her incessant speech as I worked. "So what do you think of the guys so far?" she asked. I assumed she wouldn't require a response, but she actually paused after this question. It must be that important.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure, yet," I answered lamely.

"Oh but you'll tell me, right?" she pleaded. "I know the dirt on all these guys. I can definitely tell you who to stay clear of, that's for sure! Like seriously, learn from my mistakes if you can. I can, like, totally look out for you." Then she was off again and I lost track of her aimless chatter. I was relieved when the bell rang and I was left alone, as she had a different class than me.

The next two periods passed with the same curious glances. I kept my eyes down as much as I could. If I avoided eye contact, no one would try to talk to me again like Jessica had. That was my theory anyways. I was on my way to lunch when a voice made me look up. "Bella, is it?" he asked. It was a tall guy with dark hair.

"Yeah," I said.

"I'm Lewis," he told me, reaching out to shake my hand. I shook it. "Jacob called me last night and gave me a head's up that you were going to be taking the walk of shame today."

I blushed. "Oh," was all I said.

"He told me to prove you wrong," he continued. "He said you seemed to think today would be a death sentence."

"That's Jacob's exaggeration," I defended. Everyone was flowing around us and into the cafeteria.

"Well I already gave him my word that I'd try to make your day not suck," he said. "You can blame Jacob if this is awkward."

"Right," I said, following him into the cafeteria. We got in the lunch line. The food smelled terrible.

"Bella!" I turned to see Jessica behind us. "I'm glad I found you! I want to introduce you to some people! You can sit with me, okay? And avoid the egg salad sandwiches. I think they gave my friend Emma food poisoning."

"Sure thing," I muttered, getting a cheese sandwich.

Lewis bent down a bit so only I could hear him. "I can't make your day not suck if you're sitting with sucky company," he whispered.

"Help me!" I whispered back.

"It's too late," he replied. "She's already sunken her fangs in. She won't let go until she's sucked you dry!"

Great. I was Jessica's prey. Social vampirism. I got a bottle of orange juice and attempted to casually slip away with Lewis. "Bella!" Jessica called. I turned. "Wait up!"

Lewis gave me a thumb's up and walked off, leaving me to my fate. I looked around the cafeteria at all the different tables while I waited for Jessica. Nothing stood out to me until I noticed a small group in the corner. Three men and two women. They didn't look like teenagers. Maybe they were teachers, but I couldn't imagine ever having a teacher that looked like _that_. I felt like I was looking at a painting. The kind of beauty all of them shared did not occur in reality. Not even movie stars or supermodels ever looked that good, not even with all the airbrushing and photoshopping in the world. None of them moved, but stared straight at various fixed points around them. They reminded me of the marble statues you'd find in a famous museum, their perfect faces painstakingly carved out of rock by some infinitely talented artist. For a second I thought I might be imagining them, as no one else seemed to be as transfixed on them as I was. Did anyone else notice? How could everyone be ignoring them?

"Yeah, I know," Jessica was suddenly at my side. I closed my mouth. "Those are the Cullens." She must have noticed how I was staring at them.

"Are they teachers?" I asked.

She laughed. "No! They're students, but I totally know what you mean. Supermodels, right?" We started walking towards her table. "The big guy is Emmett. He's with Rosalie, the blonde girl. And her brother is Jasper, the blonde guy. And he's with Alice, the tiny brunette. Then there's Edward. He's the only single one, but don't bother. They all ignore us. But, like, talk about incest! They're our main doctor- Doctor Cullen's foster kids. All of them!" We sat down at a table. "Everyone! This is Bella," Jessica introduced me. I half expected her to make me say a little something about myself to the small group of kids I was now seated with.

They all greeted me with gusto. "Hey I'm Mike," the boy next to me said.

"Hi," I replied, opening my orange juice. I looked down at my food in the hopes that they wouldn't engage me any further. They all seemed to enjoy the sound of their own voices, so it was easy to zone out. At one point, I looked back over my shoulder at the supermodel squad. One of them- Edward, I think- met my gaze. I quickly looked away, feeling my face getting hot. They must be kind of like the "popular crowd". The stereotype that all high schools were plagued with. The group of attractive, clique-y people that never gave anyone else the time of day. I was never really bothered by people like that, though, because at least they left me alone.

When the bell rang, I nearly sprang from my seat. "Where are you headed?" Mike asked, rising as well.

"Biology," I replied, slinging my bag over my shoulder.

Mike beamed at me. "Then I'll show you the way," he said. We started walking together. "So Jessica really took you under her wing." I nodded, giving him what I hoped was a smile of gratitude, not a cringe. "Cool. Yeah she's always complaining about being stuck in this small town and not being able to meet very many people. She nearly peed herself when she heard there was going to be a new student. She was praying for a boy, though." He laughed, I didn't. "But don't worry, I'm glad you're not a boy." I wasn't sure what he was implying with that.

"Right," I said when he paused, as if I was supposed to react to that. It was tiring trying to keep up with these overly social types.

I followed Mike into a room. "New student!" he shouted at the teacher, pointing at me. I closed my eyes and knew my face was probably red again.

"Isabella, welcome," the middle aged man said, waving me closer to him.

"Bella," I corrected, moving forward.

"Here's your fancy new book. We're on chapter eighteen," he told me. "I'd flip through all the earlier chapters and make sure you're on the same page as we are. Let me know if you're behind and I can help you catch up. I don't think it should be too much of an issue, though." He pointed at an empty seat. "That's your new seat, next to Edward. He'll be your lab partner from now on."

"Oh," was like my default lame response. Of course I would be placed with one of the snobby kids. At least it was better than Jessica. I'd rather have someone ignore me than drone on and on in my ear. As I approached my seat, I noticed Edward was glaring at me. That was interesting. I sat down and figured I didn't need to say hello. He was tense, unmoving next to me, fists clenched on the table. I was vaguely concerned about what his problem could be. His reaction to me seemed a bit extreme. Or maybe it wasn't about me. He was probably just in a bad mood. Popular kids always seemed to have lots of mood swings, always dramatic. I glanced over at him for a quick second. His black eyes bored into mine angrily. If he weren't so disgustingly handsome, I would say he looked a touch constipated.

I opened my biology book and set my mind on ignoring him. When the bell rang, he tore out of the room like a madman, almost a blur of motion. "Woah," I muttered.

"What's his problem?" Mike asked, coming to stand next to me.

I shrugged. "Does he usually act like that?" I inquired, puzzled.

"He doesn't usually talk to anyone, but he's always pretty chill," he answered. "I've never seen him like that. He looked like he wanted to kill you."

"Maybe he doesn't like new kids," I mumbled. We made our way out of the classroom.

"Well he was new a couple years ago," Mike informed me. "But the Cullens are weird. I don't think it has anything to do with you. Or at least, I can't really imagine anything about you being unlikeable." I scrunched my face slightly, finding his oddly worded compliments a bit irksome. It was like he was trying to be smooth about it, but it was just coming out half-assed and stupid. "Well I'll see you later, Bella." I waved at him and took off.

My art class was nice. Forks High didn't have a lot of options when it came to electives. There was band, but I didn't play an instrument. Gym was entirely out of the question. Choir would be mortifying. So art was my top pick. The other kids in that class were agreeable- they seemed to be the reserved, more eccentric part of the student body. They didn't try to talk to me, but they didn't come off as unfriendly.

School was over! I raced to my truck before anyone, namely Jessica, could track me down. I passed the Cullens, who were standing around a new silver volvo. They all stared at me, but thankfully Edward wasn't with them. I immediately felt self-conscious with their eyes on me. Why were they staring like that? I stumbled in a pothole and grabbed onto a nearby Jeep to stay upright. I half-expected to hear them laugh. I didn't hear anything, but I decided not to chance another look. I got into my banged up old truck and roared out of the lot.

Well that was ridiculous. Between the social butterflies and the mysteriously angry lab partner, I wasn't looking forward to tomorrow. I could only hope that they had all gotten their fill of me and would decide I was too boring to bother with any further. I think I did well giving that impression.

Charlie wasn't home, as I had assumed. There was a note on the fridge.

_Bella -_

_I left my library card on the dining room table. I thought you might like to pick up some books. _

_See you at seven. _

_- Dad_

I think that was the first time I hadn't forced a smile all day. I grabbed the card and drove to where I remembered the library was. Then I spent an hour bingeing, picking up every book that looked interesting. Once I had a good armful, I made myself stop. Some people ate too much and others used substances to feel better, but reading was how I coped.

When I got home, I finished unpacking the rest of my things. Then I decided I would be helpful and make dinner for my dad. I raided the refrigerator and realized he must really not cook that often. At least he had some spaghetti and sauce. By the time he got home, I was already putting the dinner on the table. "You didn't need to do this, Bella," he protested, but then proceeded to devour the meal.

I ate my food more slowly. "I can cook, dad," I said. "So no more microwave dinners."

"Well I don't know about that," he replied, his mouth half full. "You might be out a lot at dinnertime. Once you make some friends, right?"

"Right," I scoffed.

"Speaking of friends... Did you meet anyone nice at school today?" he asked.

"Sure," I answered. "They were all very nice." With a few exceptions.

"You sound really enthusiastic," he observed, eyeing my suspiciously.

"Do I?" I tried not to roll my eyes. "No worries, Charlie. I mean dad. I'm sure I'll fit right in."

"Hm," Charlie grunted, digging into his food. I liked conversations with Charlie. They were straight forward and over quickly. Efficient. We finished our dinner in silence. He insisted on washing the dishes, so I went up to my room to do my homework.

Turns out I wasn't at all behind in Biology. Duh. I was in advanced placement in Phoenix, but they didn't have that option in this teeny tiny town. So as much as Forks students had learned in chapters 1-18, I had learned in the first month at my old school. The homework was tedious in all my subjects aside from art. I wasn't too bothered; homework wasn't supposed to be thrilling.

Day two at my new high school was slightly better than day one for a few key reasons. First of all, Lewis managed to sneak me to his table before Jessica could force me to sit with her. She and Mike waved at me from across the cafeteria, not appearing to be bothered by my choice. Maybe they were catching on to how boring I am. I had made sure my responses to them during the day stayed strictly lame and devoid of any personality. I think that might be my only talent. And the other improving factor was the absence of my lab partner. Biology was more relaxing without the poisoned daggers shooting out of Edward's eyes and into the side of my face.

"Wow, Bella," Mike said to me when we noticed Edward wasn't in his usual seat. "You must have really scared him off."

"Did he look scared to you?" I countered, smirking slightly.

Mike laughed a bit too exuberantly. "Well I sure don't get him," he said. "If I got to be your lab partner, I'd _never_ miss a class."

That evening I cooked for my dad again and we ate in near silence. I was so used to my mom asking me a million questions about how my day went that I felt out of place, but I could definitely get used to Charlie's ways. They were a lot like my own. The only question he asked me was, "Meet anyone yet?"

I just shrugged and replied, "I'll let you know when someone substantial comes along."

Later that night, while I was doing my homework, Charlie shouted up the stairs at me. I got up from my bed, where I had been sprawled out on my stomach, and went out into the hallway so I could stand at the top of the stairs. "What?" I asked.

"Phone for you," he said, grinning.

"Oh," I mumbled, feeling embarrassed for some reason. I trotted down the stairs and Charlie handed the cordless phone to me. "Hello?" I spoke into it, cautious.

"Hey Bella!" Jacob's voice.

"Uh... hi?" I replied.

"It's me! It's Jacob," he explained.

"Yeah," I said.

"You sound thrilled," he observed.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" I wondered.

"Maybe because you sound so disinterested in everything constantly," he answered.

"Oh," I said. He was spot on.

"So I was just calling to invite you to La Push beach on Friday after school," he said. "We're having a bonfire. Cool people only."

"Does that mean you won't be there?" I joked.

"No, it means you can't bring your new buddy Jessica," he retorted.

"Oh diss!" I laughed.

"Sorry," he apologized somberly. "Will you still come?"

My smile disappeared. "I don't know, I..." I trailed off. I didn't want to go to some teenage gathering! A bonfire!? What was Jacob thinking?

"Don't worry, it's not like we're going to dance around the fire and summon the rain or whatever," he negotiated.

"Because you know how much I like the rain," I grumbled.

"No, I don't know," he said. That shocked me for a second, but then I remembered that Jacob and I barely knew each other. "But no excuses. You have to come."

"Uh..." I tried to think of a way I could get out of this one without sounding like the biggest loser in the universe.

"If you don't come willingly, I'll have Charlie arrest you and bring you here in the back seat of the cruiser," he threatened.

"He wouldn't," I protested.

"Don't be so sure," Jacob replied. "If you don't want your life in Forks to suck, then this is a first step."

"I think you might be taking this a bit too seriously," I said.

"Because I know if I leave you on your own, you'll just wallow and hang out with people like Jessica," he told me.

"I will not!" I argued, but he was right. There was a pause. "Yeah, okay."

"You'll have fun, Bella. Promise," he said.

"Right," I muttered.

"Do you like Lewis?" he asked.

"He's... interesting," I replied. There was really no other way to describe Jacob's friend. I didn't dislike him, but he took some getting used to.

"Damn, Bella!" Jacob cried. "You're hard to please. I've got my work cut out for me."

"_Your_ work?" I quipped. "It's not your job to please me, Jacob." Woops. That sounded bad.

He just laughed. I heard him say something under his breath, but didn't catch it and was too afraid to ask. "Fair enough," he said. "But I'll see you Friday. My house at five, okay?"

"Sure," I agreed.

"Until then..." he said. I hated saying good bye to people over the phone.

"Right," I mumbled. "Good night, Jacob."

"Nightie," he said. Click.

Normally I tried to keep people from taking care of me. I hated feeling like somehow I was too weak, that I needed help. That's why I stayed clear of people. I didn't want them to start caring and worrying and _trying_. I suppose I was stuck in my ways, stubborn, and I didn't want to change. I never wanted to be out of control. I never wanted to let anybody in. That's why I was beginning to get so confused about Jacob. When he was around me that first day, I felt at ease. There was no complexity inside me. No battling thoughts or walls or impulses to act a certain way. And I didn't even realize it. It was so natural that only after he left did I realize that I had not been following any of my rules, that he had me acting completely different. The worst thing, though, was his apparent concern for my well-being. I felt like I was hiding up a tree and he was trying to shake me out of it .

So the rest of the week, I brooded about this. I thought about it so much that it became a point of anxiety in my life. I was afraid. I had a system and a way that I dealt with people. Jacob was not an exception. I couldn't deal with that. It was not acceptable for anybody to get past my defenses- not even my parents could do that. Maybe I was blowing this out of proportion. After all, we had only hung out once, not including all the time we spent together when we were little. But even though it was only one time, I could still recall how I joked with him, chatted, answered his questions... I wasn't pretending or faking or wearing any sort of mask. He made me feel... normal.

The other thing that I kept thinking about all week was the mysterious disappearance of Edward. I tried to tell myself that his obvious dislike of me had nothing to do with his absence. That wouldn't make any rational sense. Things don't happen that way. People don't just randomly start hating other people. Hell, we hadn't even exchanged one word yet! And even if he did somehow loathe me for whatever irrelevant reason, he wouldn't just stop coming to school. But Mike kept joking with me that I definitely had a hand in this. As far as he could remember, Edward had never missed a day of school unless he was on vacation with his family. The rest of them were all present, though. It was coincidental timing, but he probably just got sick. Maybe he didn't get sick very often or something.

By Friday, I was in a definite bad mood. Jacob would be expecting me and I knew it would be more trouble to try to get out of going than it would be to just suck it up and go. I'd bring a book.

My dad left me a little hand drawn map with directions on how to get to Jacob's house. I ate a bowl of cereal and watched a random sitcom that was on TV to pass the time and take my mind of the socializing I was about to engage in. I wasn't sure how long it would take me to get there, so I left at 4:30. With my luck, I'd end up lost in some national forest.

I was focusing on maneuvering my strained vehicle on the winding roads when movement on the side of the road ahead caught my attention. It looked like some people, just at the edge of the forest that filled both sides of the road. As I got closer I recognized the two people easily, but I had no clue what they were doing. Alice seemed to be holding Edward back, hugging him around the waist, a frightened look on her face. Edward almost appeared to be reaching towards _me,_ with the face of a maniac. He was obviously struggling against her, but his eyes stayed dead set on me. Just as I was passing them, Emmett suddenly emerged from the forest and grabbed hold of Edward as well. When I looked in my rearview mirror, they were gone.

What was he doing, randomly, at the side of some lonesome road in the midst of a forest? Had he gone crazy? Was that why he had been out of school? I let my imagination run loose. His face... It looked like wanted to_ kill_ me. The way he was fighting to move forward, to move towards me. I couldn't see how Alice was able to hold him back at all. What if she had lost? I pictured him jumping into my windshield, breaking through the glass, and putting his hands around my throat. I drove faster.

As I pulled into Jacob's driveway, I saw him come out of his house. I was still theorizing about Edward. My door flew open. "Hey Bella!" Jacob said.

"Hi," I replied, jumping out of my truck. Jacob grabbed my shoulder to keep me from falling on my face. "Thanks."

"What's wrong?" he asked, studying my face.

Self-conscious, I attempted to look cheerier. "Hm?" I hummed. "Nothing! I'm here!"

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "I can see that," he said. "You look disturbed."

"I just saw something weird on my here," I explained. Why was I opening my mouth?

"What?" he pressed, pushing my door shut.

"These kids who go to my school," I continued. "They were just on the side of the road. Fighting, it looked like."

"Who?" he investigated.

"Uh... Some of those Cullen kids," I answered.

Jacob looked more interested. "They were fighting?"

I nodded. "Edward looked... crazy. He was trying to get away from Alice, then Emmett suddenly showed up and grabbed him too," I elaborated. "I swear I've only encountered that guy twice and both times he looked like he wanted to kill me."

"Huh? You?" Jacob's eyebrows were drawn together in confusion. "Why do you think that?"

"He just stares at me... Like..." I fumbled. "I don't know... Like he _hates_ me."

"Why would he hate you? Did you say something to him?" Jacob drilled me.

"We haven't spoken one word to each other!" I exclaimed.

Jacob seemed to think about this for a second. "Weird," he murmured, shrugging slightly.

"I'm probably the crazy one," I tried to backtrack. "Imagining things or whatever..."

"Well let's not start calling names here," Jacob grinned, back to his usual self. "It's time to get going."

"Right," I said. He started walking around the side of his house. I followed him into his backyard and then down a path that led away from there, down the hill his house was perched on. The path met up with a small roadway and we started walking down the middle of it.

"I bet you haven't seen the ocean in a while," Jacob interrupted the silence.

"Not since my mom forced a vacation in San Diego a few years ago," I replied.

Jacob laughed loudly. "Is everything in life so horrible, Bella?" he asked.

I frowned. "I guess I just feel like I'm made to do a lot of unnecessary things," I muttered.

"Like relaxing on a warm beach?" he tried.

"Precisely," I confirmed.

"What _do_ you like?" he wanted to know.

"Uh..." I wracked my brains for a good fake answer. "I like being left alone." Good job. Not fake at all.

I looked at Jacob out of the corner of my eye. He was smirking. "I'll try to remember that," he said.

The beach was beginning to come into view. I heard people laughing. Great. When we got close enough, the dozen or so people at the beach started waving and calling out Jacob's name. "Popular, eh?" I said. He shrugged and started skipping towards them. I stayed at my comfortably slow pace.

"Hey everyone- this is Bella," he introduced me when I had caught up to where he stood in the midst of everyone. He began rattling off a bunch of names that I promptly forgot. The only one I recognized was Lewis. So as everyone mingled together, I placed myself awkwardly on the sidelines.

After a few minutes, I saw Lewis scooting my way. "Carrot?" he asked, showing me a handful of baby carrots.

I shook my head, feeling my face getting hot. Only I would blush when offered a carrot. "This uh..." I attempted. "This... Seems like... Fun?"

Lewis stared blankly at me. I felt stupid. Suddenly he erupted into laughter and clapped me on the back. Bits of carrot flew out of his mouth. I just gaped at him until he finally managed to cough out, "You really don't like it here, huh?"

I wondered what my facial expression was telling him. I had so little control over it that I sometimes wish I had a mirror on hand. "No, no..." I mumbled. "It hasn't even been a week. It's fine."

"So tell me how much you hate it so far, then," Lewis demanded, a sly look on his face.

"I never said I hated it!" I insisted.

"Come on!" Lewis cried. "Forks High? Are you kidding me?"

I sighed, disgruntled. "Alright," I allowed. "It's pretty lame."

"No joke," he replied. "You'd have to be an imbecile like Mike Newton to enjoy going to that school. And as far as I've been able to tell, you're not really on that level."

"Er... thanks," I said, unsure what exactly he meant by that. I guess I was so self-conscious that I was never sure if someone was actually complimenting me or merely mocking me.

"By the way... Mike Newton, eh?" Lewis wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively.

Mortified, I heard myself making a gagging noise as I choked on my response. Lewis just laughed and threw another carrot into his mouth.


	3. Encounter

Disclaimer - I disclaime!

A/N - You guys don't really like my story.

* * *

Chapter Three - Encounter

Having spent the weekend alone, I felt refreshed when Monday rolled around. Another week of school seemed manageable... until I walked into the cafeteria. The last person I wanted to see was sitting in the far corner along with the rest of his gorgeous clan.

"Something wrong?" Lewis asked.

I realized I was standing frozen in the doorway, blocking the kids behind me from entering. I shook my head and bowed my head, heading to the lunch line. I needed to get a grip.

"Pizza today!" Lewis cheered. "That's probably their secret tactic to make us all less rebellious on this god awful day."

"Huh?" I peered at the limp pizza slices on the display.

"You know... Mondays are the worst day of the week," Lewis explained. "So they try to make us happy by giving us pizza."

I made a face. "How could _this_ crap make anyone happy?" I asked doubtfully.

Lewis shrugged. "It's not as bad as the slop they feed us the rest of the week."

"You make a good point," I muttered, but still bypassed the pizza. I didn't feel hungry- I felt anxious.

I sat down next to Lewis at his table with a ginger ale. Maybe it would settle my stomach. "Your fan club is trying to get your attention," Lewis observed.

I impulsively glanced over at Edward's table, but none of them were looking at me. Pretending like I was simply scanning the room, I surveyed the rest of the tables until my eyes landed on Eric, Jessica, and Mike all looking in my direction. When I made eye contact, they began beckoning me over with waves. I sighed and glared at Lewis. "I could have easily ignored them, if you hadn't just made me look," she grumbled.

"It's not polite to keep people waiting," Lewis said, smirking.

"You enjoy torturing me," I accused. He seemed to think it was the most hilarious thing in the world to submit me to their eager chatter. Slowly, I got to my feet and walked over to them.

"Hey Bella!" Jessica cried, grabbing my arm and pulling me into the seat next to her.

"Hi," I greeted.

"You won't believe this but Edward has been staring at you since you came into the cafeteria. Like oh my god, isn't that weird?" she gushed. I resisted the impulse to check to see if she was right.

"I guess," I replied. "So what's up?" All I wanted was to get back to my ginger ale.

"I just had to tell you that!" she declared, as if that were reason enough.

"Well thanks," I mumbled, getting back to my feet. "I'll see you in class, Eric." With that, I made my escape. They probably thought I was a bitch, but did I really care?

I left lunch early so I could get to Biology before anyone else. I couldn't stand the idea of walking up to our table again, with him glaring at me like he did last time. Right before the bell rang, I saw him amble into the room. Immediately, I looked down at my book. I heard him sit down next to me.

"Hey," I heard him say to someone. I opened my book. "Hello? Bella?" Upon hearing Edward say my name, my stomach flipped.

I slowly turned to face him. "Uh… hi?" I replied, almost scared to acknowledge him. This was an odd turn of events.

"I'm Edward," he said, smiling. "Sorry I've left you without a partner for the past week. I fell ill the day you first arrived, hence why I must have come off as being terribly rude. I apologize."

I just stared at him. "Right," I said, not knowing what else to say.

"Did I miss anything vital?" he asked.

I turned back towards the front, uncomfortable with how he was staring at me. "I'm not sure," I answered. "We have a lab today."

"Then I returned just in time," he nearly exclaimed. I found his enthusiasm ridiculous.

Luckily the teacher began speaking, giving us instructions for our onion lab. I didn't bother listening as I had done this lab before in Phoenix. Besides, I was distracted, thinking of Edward's bizarre change in character.

"So what do you think this is?" Edward asked me, peering into the microscope.

I took a turn looking into it after he was done. "Anaphase," I announced.

He nodded and wrote down the answer on our worksheet. Cursive. Seriously? He changed slides then took a glance at it. "Metaphase?"

I checked. "No, prophase," I corrected.

He made a show of being embarrassed. "I suppose I'm not adequately prepared for this lab," he said.

"Oh," I replied, not sure yet what was going on, still attempting to reassess him in my head.

We finished our lab way before anyone else, mostly thanks to me. "So you're new," he stated, eyeing me intently.

"Yep," I responded, ignoring the impulse to roll my eyes.

"Why?" he wondered. "Why did you come here?"

It sounded like an accusation to me. "To live with my dad," I explained briefly.

"But why?" he persisted.

"I…" I wasn't sure what to say yet again. I still couldn't fully rationalize everything that was happening.

"What?" he pressed, leaning towards me, not giving me a chance to formulate a response.

He had such a strange scent. I took a deep breath through my nose to try to figure it out. No luck. "I wanted to spend some time with my dad," I supplied, feeling severely imposed upon. I didn't see how this was any of his business. No one else had asked me this.

"Do you like it here? Have you made friends? Do you miss home?" he drilled.

I bit my lip, trying to find a way to make him leave me alone. In that moment I actually preferred the murderous Edward that didn't speak. "I'm fine, thanks," was all I said.

"You don't like me," he stated as fact.

I hesitated, slightly shocked by his blunt, neurotic assertion. "Uh…" I began. "Why would you think that? I just met you."

"You just seem very withdrawn," he observed. He leaned even closer. "I'd like to know what you're thinking."

I stared into his honey gold eyes. Such an abnormal color, I noted. Weren't his eyes black before? "I'm sorry," I managed to say.

He nodded in sycophantic agreement. It dawned on me that perhaps I was right- maybe he was crazy. Or at least there was nothing about him that made sense. I was an observer. All my life I'd watched people instead of interacting with them. I felt so far removed, like a scientist idly following an experiment. And usually everyone fell into some category of predictability. I had learned how to read people very well, but Edward was presenting a curious case.

He was excruciatingly handsome, but that wasn't what was compelling to me about Edward. I had seen many beautiful people. They were the easiest to predict, I thought. They were always confident, with an air of superiority, even in the most humble of them. They did well socially, if they so chose, because they knew they could have most anyone eating out of the palm of their hands. So that's probably why they usually ended up with other attractive people, people who were not so easily won over by their good looks and they felt more level with. And that's how the vicious cycle of superficiality began. For this reason, I tended to be cautious of beautiful people.

Edward, being the most attractive person I'd ever seen or probably will ever see, was not what I'd expect. He had a definite edge of awkwardness about him. I couldn't say he wasn't confident, but he didn't seem entirely sure of himself either. The way he spoke to me- it was like a self-conscious nerd trying to talk to the prom queen. I didn't understand.

The Edward I met a week ago was more believable to me. The disdain he seemed to have for me then was most likely based on some surface-level judgment. Sure, it was a bit more extreme than anything else I'd experienced, but I figured it was all in the same vein. I had been unsettled by it, but not surprised.

"No, I'm sorry for being intrusive," he countered, still nodding slightly.

I felt so awkward for him that I decided to throw him a line. "It's okay," I said. I guess I needed to give him a second chance. "I don't really have anything interesting on my mind." I cringed inwardly and the vision of me banging my head against a wall flooded my head.

"I doubt that," he replied. I felt strangely relieved, but then I realized I was doing it. I was hoping he approved of me. That meant I was trying to be on his level. I _always_ tried to avoid this and I usually could, by ignoring people's ugliness or attractiveness. But Edward was so overwhelmingly gorgeous that I couldn't help myself.

I felt my face getting hot. I grit my teeth, angry towards myself. Now I wasn't sure how to proceed. My normal plan was to make myself seem as boring and uninteresting as I could, so people would leave me alone. But as I pondered how to respond to Edward, I found myself struggling with saying any of my usual lines. I wasn't sure I wanted him to leave me alone. It was like Jacob all over again, except with Edward I had a choice and was still in control. It was my decision whether I wanted to take the mask off. That made me feel a bit better. "Why are you so interested?" I decided on.

"You're different, Bella," the way he said my name almost made me shiver. His voice was so clear and pleasing. I briefly wondered what it would sound like if he sang. My face stayed red. Our eyes were still locked. I thought about looking elsewhere, but found I was unable. It was strange how he stared, like he was trying to see into me.

"Yeah," I fumbled. "I'm the new kid from Phoenix. I'm aware."

He leaned away from me suddenly and took a deep breath. His behavior was so peculiar. "No, that's not what I mean," he told me. "Yes, you are different for the obvious reasons. You were raised somewhere else after all. But there's something else about you, Bella."

I was thrilled when he said my name again. "Care to let me in on this?" I asked, grinning.

He smiled back, revealing perfect teeth. "I haven't put my finger on it, yet," he increased the intensity of his stare, as if that would also increase the effort of his investigation.

"Well be sure to let me know when you've got me all figured out," I joked, but felt uneasy. Edward intrigued me and I had decided not to shut him out, but the idea of him knowing me so intimately felt more than invasive.

"Well I doubt _that_ would ever happen," he murmured. "Figuring someone out entirely is impossible."

I noticed he was getting less awkward. "I suppose," I agreed. "Because there is never any real way of knowing for sure if you are right. You'd have to _be_ them. Or read their minds, at least."

He surprised me by laughing. "Very true," he agreed, finally breaking eye contact. "And as I'm unable to do that, you'll just have to help me out."

I never thought I'd actually miss small talk. This conversation was getting too weird, not anything like how it was supposed to be the first time you talk to someone. "Right," was my default response.

"So do you like it here?" he repeated his question.

"It's fine," I replied.

"What does that even mean?" he asked.

I started feeling exasperated. Maybe I should switch to boring mode. "I just don't think that's relevant," I answered.

"Your feelings aren't relevant?" he attempted to clarify, looking like he was about to crumble with confusion.

I sighed audibly. I was confused as well. "Not really," I said. "I live here now. It doesn't matter if I like it or not."

"So you don't like it," he stated.

"It's fine," I insisted.

He laughed again. "Getting an answer out of you is like pulling teeth," he said. I shrugged. "Are you always this difficult?"

"That's what my mom says," I offered.

"You seem to have a problem answering with a simple yes or no," he said. "It's like you're trying to avoid giving me anything concrete." Silence. "So have you made any friends?"

"I've only been here a week," I answered.

"So have you made any friends?" he tried again.

I was getting irritated. Why was he so intent on getting answers out of me? "I suppose," I responded grudgingly.

"You sat with Lewis at lunch," he noted.

"Yeah," I replied. "You were staring."

He ignored me. "Is he your friend?"

"He's becoming a friend," I worded my answer carefully.

"You are selective about who you befriend," he said.

"Am I?" I heard my voice rise slightly, strained. I felt like he was boxing me into a corner. He seemed to notice my tension at last and relaxed in his seat, leaning away from me once again.

"Sorry," he apologized.

I had an idea. "You're new," I stated.

He blinked. "Huh?"

"Do you like it here?" I asked.

"I…" he trailed off, his brow furrowing. "Yes, I do."

"Have you made any friends?" I persisted.

"No," he answered.

"Why is that, Edward?" I could hear my patronizing tone.

He studied my face for a second, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth, obviously on to me. "I don't quite…" he seemed to be searching for the right way to put it, "fit in."

"Jessica says you ignore everyone," I retorted.

He didn't look surprised. "I didn't peg you as the gossiping type," he countered.

I wasn't fazed. "And how have you pegged me?" I continued my battle.

He leaned towards me again. "You're unlike anything," he replied quietly. "I can't peg you, but I _want _to."

I smirked. "You want to _peg_ me?" His eyes widened and he nearly threw himself back away from me, pursing his lips shut. I laughed. "Sorry you walked right into that one." He was seemingly appalled. I felt immediately horrified with myself when I realized I had, for a brief moment, flirted with Edward. Since when did I flirt with anyone? Forks was doing strange things to me.

Desperate to escape, I grabbed our worksheet and took it up to the front of the class to turn it in. A backpack was conveniently placed in the aisle and I, naturally, tripped over it. I was sure I was going to land flat on my face in front of the whole class when someone grabbed my arm and steadied me. I looked down at my feet, mortified. Edward had seen that, no doubt. I didn't dare look over at him to check.

"I think there hasn't been one single day that I haven't seen you trip," my savior said.

I looked up to meet Mike's expectant expression. "Thanks," I mumbled, eyeing my feet once again.

"Looks like Cullen's had a change of heart about you," he blurted.

I didn't look up. "Yeah, I guess," I muttered, continuing on my previous course. I dropped the paper into the turn-in basket.

Mike followed me. "Must be kind of creepy with him staring at you like that constantly," he kept talking. "Especially after the way he treated you last week."

I shrugged, looking towards the back of the classroom. Edward was staring at Mike and I almost flinched. The hateful expression of my first day had resurfaced on his face. He couldn't possibly hear us from that far away, could he?

Mike put his hand on my back. My eyes flickered quickly over to meet his. "Just let me know if he bothers you in any way, okay?" He looked at me earnestly, as if hoping I would need rescuing.

I felt my jaw clench involuntarily. Without responding, I marched back to my seat. I hoped that was a good enough answer. Once I was safely back in my chair, I glanced at Edward sidelong. He was still glaring in Mike's direction then suddenly, sensing my attention, his eyes shifted to look at me. I think I actually shrunk away from him. I bowed my head, letting my hair hide my face.

"Thanks for turning in our paper," he said stiffly, an edge to his tone.

I didn't respond. I heard him mutter something under his breath, then silence.

"Are you upset with me?" he demanded abruptly.

I couldn't believe this was happening. Edward was perhaps the most unpredictable person I had ever met. I gathered up all my courage and straightened in my seat, meeting his gaze. To my surprise, the hate-filled glare had disappeared entirely. His expression was now soft, almost concerned. "Why would I be?" I asked.

"I'm starting to believe you really _can't_ give me a direct answer," he smirked. "You just seem uncomfortable around me."

I angled my body towards him a bit more. "You're…" I struggled with myself. "You're just…" I hesitated, wishing I could just shut up.

"Creepy?" he supplied.

"Did you hear Mike say that?" I stammered.

"No," he replied quickly. "I was just judging, based on your reactions…"

I wasn't sure what to say. Was he seeking approval from me? Was he really that interested in what I thought of him? There was no way for me to tell him, because I hadn't decided for myself yet. I didn't know if I liked Edward. I didn't know if I approved of him. I still hadn't wrapped my head around exactly what was transpiring between us. It was one huge mess in my head. I wanted to go home and think until I had fit everything into a single neat, sensible explanation.

As I faltered, unsure of the right response, the bell rang. Relief! Edward was up and out of the room before I could formulate a goodbye. I guess he wasn't really that interested in my answer after all.

I found myself staring at Alice through most of art class, but my mind was on Edward. My first impression of him was that he was not unlike the usual snobby, good-looking elitists that were a stereotype in every high school. I had thought, at first, that his attitude towards me was no different than what I'd received many times over from others of his "type" throughout my life. But then, after the incident on the side of the road, I was sure there was something more, something homicidal, to Edward's bizarre behavior. Perhaps I had let my imagination stray too far, but I had truly believed, at least for the weekend, that he wanted to kill me.

But what the hell was today about? I wasn't an idiot, but the obvious assumptions that could be made from his behavior seemed impossible. He was acting like… he had a crush on me. It was that, or he was just obscenely interested in me for whatever reason. I guess that wasn't _normally_ anything out of the ordinary. I was the new kid, after all. But Jessica had made it perfectly clear to me that none of the Cullens _ever_ gave _anyone_ more attention than was necessary. Maybe Jessica was exaggerating or perhaps she just really had no idea what she was talking about. And there hadn't been a new kid since the Cullens had come here a few years ago, so maybe Edward was just as interested as everyone else. I supposed that was more likely than him wanting to be my boyfriend. What an idea!

One thing he said kept looping in my brain. _"You're different, Bella,"_ he had said. _"You're unlike anything."_ That part was impossible to explain. He had made that assessment of me when all he really knew about me was that I had moved here to spend time with my dad and that I could identify the different phases of mitosis better than he could. And it wasn't possible for him to have learned much more than that from anybody else, because nobody in Forks really knew much about me except for my dad and maybe Jacob. _"You're unlike anything."_ He'd said it like he truly believed it, like it was as blatant as the color of my hair. The most likely conclusion I could come up with was that he had some sort of mental illness. Between the wildly murderous looks and desperation to get to know me, that had to be it.

As I walked towards the parking lot, my eyes on the ground, someone fell in step next to me. They were wearing black moccasin booties. I pretended like I didn't notice.

"Hi Bella!" a sweet, clear voice rang out. Oh no.

I actually stopped walking and looked up to face her. The instant our eyes met, I thought I might cry from intimidation. I felt like a child. I'd never been so close to Alice before. "Bella?" she said again, one of her eyebrows raised.

"Hey," I managed to breath.

"I'm Alice," she announced, giving me a ridiculously bright smile. When I didn't respond immediately, she added, "I'm Edward's sister." Did she think that should mean something to me?

"Yeah," I replied.

"He didn't explain that incident the other day, did he?" she asked, eyes intent.

I just shook my head. Suddenly her eyes became unfocused, but wider, as if realizing something pivotal. Then she sighed and stepped away from me slightly. A second later, Edward was filling the space between us. "Alice," he growled, a warning.

She shrugged, looking resigned. "Talk to you some _other_ time, Bella," she said before huffing off towards the parking lot.

Edward turned his intense eyes on me. I was vaguely aware that my mouth was hanging open. He rolled his eyes, but it was obviously a forced action. I could see how strained he was, barely holding in some volatile emotion. "She's always trying to embarrass me," he mumbled.

I closed my mouth. Did he expect me to believe that? Alice had been attempting to explain to me what exactly I witnessed on Friday, when I had seen them on the side of the road. Maybe this meant he would be embarrassed if the truth was revealed? Was he schizophrenic or something? Did he not want anyone to know? It was starting to make sense!

"Right," I muttered. It would probably be a bad idea to get into it with him, though I was curious.

His eyes darted around nervously. "Sorry," he blurted. Then in a very fluid, quick motion, he turned and followed after Alice.

What the hell?


End file.
